Today we’d like to introduce you to Abhaya Balaji.
Hi Abhaya, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was living my dream life, the exact life I wanted for myself when it happened. My dream job was to travel the world and make beautiful photographs and after my Master’s in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, I was working with Reuters doing exactly what I had always wanted to do when it hit me. I think they call it depression but to me, it was living hell. I was so low, down, unhappy and miserably sad even though everything externally in my life was beyond perfect. I couldn’t bear the pain any longer and decided to work with it rather than against it.
As I returned, my menstrual cycle had been giving me trouble with acne breakouts. My gynecologist confirmed the suspicion of my dermatologist. I had multiple ovarian cysts and the chances of a healthy pregnancy (whenever planned) were not looking good. At 24 years of age, I was standing at her counter baffled to hear the risk that not only was I more prone to diabetes and heart failures but also that there was no cure to Polycystic ovary syndrome.
I am no quitter and I decided to take my health into my own hands. I started with a simple practice of yoga and brought about a regular rhythm to my food and sleep. I then did a deep cleanse of the body and turned vegan. I started meditating and that really was a game changer for me. Although I started for different reasons, I found meditation really open me up as a person very holistically. My sense of peace, calm expanded into exuberant silence and dynamic activity.
By now, my physical ailments had stabilized and I was now able to practice more hours of yoga and meditation. I did many silence programs for 8+ days and it was during one of them that I had a very deep experience of total oneness. It seized the existential questions I always have had about the creation of this universe and my role in it. I saw clearly the divine intelligence that connects everything in the world and how it can be experienced through the practice of yoga.
I dedicated the rest of the year in training to become a Classical hatha yoga teacher. I spent 1755+ hours training for 8 hours a day for 21 weeks in asanas, breath, physiology, siddha medicine, food and nutrition and received my certification in 2016. Since 2016, I have run a full-time yoga in India across three cities, teaching thousands of people yoga. My husband and I are both teachers and practicing yogis and run our own yoga studio in Austin.
I consider myself fortunate to have received blessings from many enlightened masters, sages and yogis from India. I know nothing has greater meaning in my life but sharing their wisdom with the world. Making this yogic science available to more people is my mission on this planet and I am here in Austin to do that. If you wish to learn a traditional authentic form of yogic sciences, YOGA NETRI is the place to learn.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I have moved three cities in the last three years and have had to restart my yoga studio from scratch each time. It takes months to get a studio active and rolling with regular classes but this taught me how to build and engage online communities, especially during the pandemic.
Yoga Netri has a wide organically grown community of yoga lovers in every city that we have taught in now.
Most people in America have a very different understand of yoga. Over the years it has been fused with marketing ideas to make it different. For example, hot yoga (that’s a terrible idea if you ask any real yogi), goat yoga (if you use common sense, you will come to the same conclusion as me), beer yoga (this could be potentially hazardous to health and safety)
To communicate the real essence of yoga while keeping its purity intact has been the greatest challenge when teaching in the west. Most people are looking for fitness or entertainment. While yoga offers both, it also offers a deeper possibility of realizing oneself through regular practice as well. Something which is this potent should not be handled loosely. Electricity is powering everything we use in a house but we don’t play with the live wire, do we? Same way, what has the potential to transform one’s life should be handled with care and caution. Hence, the right teacher and right practice is essential for a seeker.
Balancing my passions. I am a photojournalist, creative director, writer, singer, yoga teacher, ayurveda practitioner, avid reader and aspiring public speaker among other things. Making time for my family, work and passions and balancing it has been the kind of challenge I love.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Yoga Netri?
Yoga Netri Classical Hatha Yoga Studio
Using the yogic sciences as tools for transformation.
There are practices that are – physical, mental or spiritually focused.
You can choose intensity levels – low, medium or high.
And in this way, we personalize your yoga routine to fit your specific need and build a path for your health goals.
Sessions are taught as group workshops (each month a schedule is put out for various workshops) www.yoganetri.com
Private sessions are can be booked for one-on-one clients, patients or people with special needs.
We also sell yoga mats and organic soaps at the studio. We sell hats, t-shirts online on our website.
We conduct yoga workshops for groups, individuals, corporates, children and patients.
This is a woman-owned business that’s been in operation for six years, it’s the 1st year in Austin.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Notion – I map my brain on this app. I run two businesses, have one job and have many side projects.
This is how I keep everything organized.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yoganetri.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoganetri
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yoganetri.in/
